Published 6:00 pm, Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Attached to the historic Gage Hotel in the remote town of Marathon, Cafe Cenizo prides itself on “Texas-style fine dining with classical French techniques.”

The upscale restaurant highly recommends reservations, and although the dress code is casual, the friendly service and seasonal menu is impressive.

My husband, Chris, and I made reservations at Cafe Cenizo for our second and final evening during our stay at the Gage Hotel. After enjoying a few drinks at the White Buffalo Bar adjacent to the restaurant, we sat down at a corner table in one of the restaurant’s small dining rooms. Outdoor seating on the restaurant’s patio with a fireplace and heaters also is available.

As our server presented us with menus, my husband asked about the consistency of one of the dishes, explaining he still was recovering from a painful dental procedure. The server suggested a few items on the menu and recommended he substitute mashed potatoes for another side dish. She then went back to the kitchen to get our drinks and fresh-baked bread. When she returned with the bread basket, she mentioned that she had cut the crusts off of half of the slices of bread so that my husband wouldn’t have any trouble eating them. Throughout our meal, our server went out of her way to accommodate us and make sure our dining experience went exactly as we wanted.

Chris started his meal with a ginger sweet potato soup with caramelized apples garnishing a slightly sweet and savory puree. I began with a tomato and chayote salad of butter lettuce, tomatillo, grape tomatoes and chayote squash in a light vinaigrette. I had never before tried — or even heard of — chayote squash. Common in Mexico, our server told me, this squash has a similar texture and taste to a green apple, slightly less tart. The crispness complemented the softer textures of the lettuce and tomatoes in the salad.

Other appetizers on the menu included grilled quail, chipolte dusted shrimp and braised short ribs with green chili polenta.

For our main course, Chris ordered the duck enchiladas consisting of shredded duck, tomatillo sauce and Monterey cheese. He said the duck was so tender it fell apart with his fork and the sauce was flavorful but mild.

The beef was buttery and tender and worked well with the very slight heat of the poblano cream sauce. Though I’m unsure exactly how many ounces of beef came with the dish, I know the cut of meat was too large for me to finish even though I enjoyed every bite.